Means for controlling discharge from glass tanks



-description thereof,

EDWARD S. BUTTON, 0F LAPEL, NDEANA.

MEANS FOR ONTROLLNG DSCHARGE FRGM GLASS TANKS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented duty 1S, i922..

.application filed November 10, 1919 Serial No. 336,835.

To all :l1/'10m 'it may concern- Be it known that I, EDWARD S. HU'rToN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Lapel, county of Madison, and State of Indiana. have invented a certain new and useful Means for Controlling Discharge from Glass Tanks; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals refer to like parts.

The object of this invention is to provide a satisfactory means for shutting off the How of glass from a glass tank in a glass factory to the spout or discharge chamber thereof, when the tank is not being used or operated temporarily during Sundays or any teniporary shutdown, and thereby prevent the glass chilling` in the discharge spout or outlet and requiring the removal of the chilled glass.

Heretofore it has been .customary on the occasion of such temporary shutdowns to close the outlet opening in the discharge spout with a clay nlug or the like or with a sand plug or an asbestos plug. After the glass is chilled around any of these plugs and it is desired` to resume operation, the operator finds thatit requires a good deal of time to remove the chilled glass from around the plugs or from the outlet opening if it had become filled with chilled glass, and to get the glass flowing again. This invention is to overcome the foregoing trouble.

The chief feature of the invention consists in providing a floater block inside of the glass tank adapted to extend across the outlet to the spout and close the flow of glass thereto, when the block is in one position, but permits the flow of glass thereto when the block is in another position.4 The operator determines the position of the block. yWith this arrangement the channel in the discharge spout will be entirely drained and said channel and the outlet opening therefrom will be free from chilled glass. There fore, on the resumption of operation, all that is necessary is to adjust the Heater block and the fresh hot glass immediately Hows into the discharge spout and out of it through the discharge outlet.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from the accompanying drawings and the fpllowing description and claim:

ln the drawings F ig. 1 is a vertical section its ends.

through 'a portion of a tank and the discharge spout with the Heater block in position to permit the low of the glass from the tank'to the spout, during the operation lof the machine. Fig. 2 is thesame as Fig. 1 with the loater block adjusted to prevent any discharge of glass from the tank tothe spout. F ig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 3-3 of Fig. l. Fig. ft is a front elevafv tion of the form of floater blocks shown in Figs. l, 2 and 3. Figs. 5 and 6 show moditied forms of floater blocks.

There is shown in the drawings herein a glass tank 10 and a discharge spout 11 hav-l ing a discharge outlet 12 adapted to be closed by a plug 13 operated by any desired means. It has the usual horizontal opening 14 from the glass tank to the discharge spout, which is over the portion 15 of the wall which lies between the glass tank and discharge spout and over the top of which the glass 16 flows during the use of the glass tank.

Heretofore, when the tank was shut down for any period, the flow of glass was stopped by the plug 13 closing the outlet opening 12 from the spout. Therefore, the spout would during the shutdown of the tank be filled with glass and the portion in the outlet opening 12 and 'around the plug 13 would 1ecome chilled and that would cause trouble on the resumption of operation.

1With this improvement the plug 13 is used only for a very brief closure of the discharge opening 12, and for shutdowns over Sunday or for any other relatively longl period, the `liow of glass is stopped between the tank l0 and the discharge spout 11. This is accomplished by a floating block 20. lt may be made of clay or any suitable material which will ioat, and preferably is rectangular in cross section and the length of it is somewhat greater than the length of the opening 14 from the tank to the discharge spout,l so that it will overlap said opening,

as shown in Fig. 3. The oater when. made of clay is more than half submerged, as shown in Fig. l. A groove 21 is made transversely of the In the forni shown in the lirst four figures that groove is across one corner, that is, in an oblique position. Therefore, when the block is in the position shown in Fig. k1 with the groove 21 across the lower front corner of the block, the glass will rise in and discharge through said groove into the discharge spout. But if the block 20 be turned plug about midway between over into the position shown in Fig. 2, thei'rmeans of a floating block be controlled, and, groove 21 will not be across the lower front 4,when the glass 1s not flowing' 1t permlts'the corner. It is obvious that the How of glass/discharge spout to be clear ofvgla, and from the tank to the discharge spout will be upon the resumption of operation, as `soon cut off and all the glass in'the discharge will as the block is turned over, the glass will drain therefrom and leave it free and clear freely flow into and out of the discharge and there will be no glass left to chill and spout at once. The invention 1s not llmited I close the outlet opening 12 and give trouble to the particular material or form of the floatin its removal. 'ing block or the shape of the groove or open- The floating block 20 can be turned or ading theretln'ough for the passage o glass justed in position by removing one of the so long as the block is such as to stop the bricks 23 in the side of the tank andinsertflow of glass when in one position andpering a rod and turning over the fioatin block mit the flow of glass when in another posifrom one of the positions shown in "igs. 1 tion. andto the other position shown therein. The invention claimed is: Fig. 5 shows a modified form of floating .The combination of a glass tank, and a block having a transverse groove 121 entirely discharge spout, with wall between `the across its under side when the block is n lower part of the spout and the glass tank 4position to permit the flow of' glass from the and an opening above said wall for the flow tank to the discharge spout. 'When the block of'glass from the tank to the spout, a. floatshown in Fig. 5 is turned over, it will preing block inside the glass tank with a trans vent the flow of glass the same as in Fig. 2. versely disposed passagmva)7 in said block Another modified form is shown in Fig. 6 arranged so that when the block is in one Where the block 20 has a transverse opening position against said wall, the passageway 221 through it. This block will operate in will extend from the lower part of said the same way as the other blocks. In all block toa point higher than said wall and forms of these blocks the grooves or openpermit the fiow of glass from the tank to l ings therethrough, when the block is in one the spout, and when the block is turned `the tank to the discharge spout can by position, extend above the top of the Wall over Will prevent such flow of glass. l5 to permit the flow of glass fromthe tank In Witness whereof, I have hereunto tothe discharge spout. affixed my signature.

It is thus seen that the flow of glass from EDWARD S. HUTTON. 

